Youth Services Division

Mission

The Youth Services Division is dedicated to public safety and trust by holding juvenile offenders accountable for their actions through custody, supervision, restitution, and life skills development with the provision of habilitation services from the time of commitment through community transition and discharge while affording youth the opportunities needed to live successful and productive lives.

The Youth Services Division holds youths adjudicated to the department’s custody by a youth court accountable for their actions through custody, supervision, restitution and life-skills development, while ensuring that all court-ordered conditions are met. This is achieved by providing habilitation-focused programming both in facilities and while on parole supervision in the community. The goal is to give youths every possible opportunity for successful and productive lives.

The Youth Service Division works under an overarching philosophy of making sure programs for youth and interaction approaches with youth are based on evidence based, research supported practices. Programs are strength-based and goal oriented. The ongoing commitment of the division is to recognize the power of being caring adult role models teaching youth how to have healthy relationships while providing positive reinforcement and consistent feedback and structure.